In late November, 2011, a strange and troubling event has happened to our studio. We have received an anonymous e-mail which suggested that we should produce some "unconventional" game based upon the materials attached to the letter. Such offers are a dime a dozen and most of the time they barely deserve any attention at all, however, this one seemed quite different.

The attachment contained a set of 19 files added to an archive titled "lestplay". The files (snippets of text, scraps of audio recording, video footage fragments) as well as the style and wording of the message itself appeared to be rather disturbing. The surface examination did not reveal anything straightforwardly terrifying, yet we could not escape the feeling that something truly sinister was lurking underneath.

The stranger was begging us to complete the project he has started, yet he also made us well aware of the risk we took as the proposed ludic situation would potentially explain what calamity befell whoever has compiled the ominous archive, thus urging ourselves to meet the same fate.

The unknown Author was a gentleman and a scholar - he stated that he would introduce no boundaries to our creative freedom, yet he insisted that along with the ludic situation itself the items forming the "lestplay" archive should be included into the game, "else everything would be futile".

Alongside a significant number of others, we tend to lend a certain amount of credibility to mysticism, yet this specific predicament seemed more like a shoddy mystification. We were fed up with a massive number of similar "cursed files" tricks and at times we felt inclined to erase the whole thing for good.

However, upon consideration, we still decided to take part in this experiment. At the very least we would find out what the result would be, and what awful fate would possibly await us, as we will obviously be the first people to play the game.

Please find the initial details of the story below.

Concept

There is a wooden house standing in the thick of the forest. A single man resides there.

As of late the house is visited by unusual Guests which knock on the window shutters inviting the hermit to take part in a game of hide-and-seek. The winning condition is simple, you have to remain alive and to retain your sanity till sunrise. This means that approaching the Visitors head-on might be a terrible idea.

As soon as the first Visitor emerges from the thicket - the countdown begins. Every passing hour brings the Guests closer to the house, its walls proving to be an obstacle they are well able to surmount. Something is already inside. Something is opening the window and banging on the cookware. Something has gained control of the cellar and the attic. The floorboards are creaking softly behind the wall.

Hiding alone would never suffice, the Visitors are well aware of your position. Thus, you would have to make your rounds of the house, searching for the breaches that let the creatures of the woods inside and doing your best to mend them.

You could prevent the walls from being breached even more if you keep a close eye on the telltale signs and manage to bring some light into the room which would soon become an area of paranormal activity. The poltergeist would fall back for a while, if only to reappear in some other part of the house.

You could come across some useful loot which might contribute to your survival. The assortment and the stats of the items is always random, and the inventory is limited to 5 slots, so you would have to choose your gear preferences every single night.

If you manage to survive till sunrise, another monster would dissolve and disappear in the first light of dawn. But if the Visitors manage to get you before the sun shines... A mere thought of this outcome is nowhere short of terrifying.

Hide! We have to emulate hide-and-seek with monstrous creatures of nightmares. It turned out to be a hybrid of Lode Runner, Home Alone and Nightmare Ned.

Don’t look now! Keep (your avatar) away from the night visitors. The objective of each new night is to hold out until dawn and stay sane. The Night (a level) lasts for 7-10 minutes each.

Turn on the light! Only illuminated rooms are a safe haven and allow freedom of movement. But the light does not last for long and needs permanent supervision.

Fix the house! The more breaches there are in the house, the more fear, darkness and creatures of the sick mind the hero has to withstand.

Each night a number of useful tools appear in different rooms.

The player builds his very own house: any combination of rooms, stairs and doors are allowed. Any new room would increase the total amount of health and safety of the hero and open up new opportunities.

Every kind of Guest has a unique appearance, damage range, and personal characteristics. New seasons of the game will follow.

Everything that happens in the house is a clue. Uncover clues, master levels, stay sane and you will eventually expose the underlying mystery.

Art

Screenshots

Video

What does donator receive?

5 USD — Thanks for your support! You will get a free digital copy (PC or Mac) of the game at half price. In addition to the game, you will receive certain information concerning the gameplay, which will mainly cover the "dos and don'ts" of the game.

13 USD — In addition to the digital copy of the game and the secret tactics advice, pledging this amount will get you the Digital Extended Edition of the game's soundtrack. Take note that along with the tracks used in the game, the Extended Edition will include a number of unused tracks and tracks inspired by the events taking part in the game.

20 USD — In addition to the digital copy of the game and the secret instructions, we will send you a limited edition digital art-book containing production sketches as well as a number of behind-the-scenes stories, incidents we had to face while we worked with the ominous archive. Your name will be mentioned in the credits as well.

47 USD — Regrettably, we were forbidden to disclose any information with regard to this package. However, this blind bargain would net you a very special premium in addition to all the goodies mentioned above.

100 USD — In addition to everything mentioned above, you will be assigned a so-called «surrogate». We will create your personal tree in the forest (and the forest is far more than a mere bunch of trees in the game). The «surrogate» is something between a charm and a tomb where one's misfortunes could be buried. This allows the player an additional layer of security/protection. No guarantees: we merely follow the instructions of The Originator.

200 USD — You’ll get everything mentioned above, 5 digital copies of the game and a printed art-book signed by the developers who would manage to complete the project with their sanity intact.

500 USD — In addition to everything mentioned above, you’ll get the opportunity to modify the head of the main hero. You will get 10 digital copies of the game with the altered character and you will be added to the credits as a sponsor.

500 USD — You'll get everything mentioned above and we will plant a tree on your behalf. It could be an oak, a chestnut, an ash, an aspen, a pine tree, a fir tree or a blueberry bush. We will create a special place in the middle of the desert, and the trees that we are going to plant will make a grove, and each tree will bear a name of the one who made it possible. Rest assured that we will be taking good care for this grove and that we will do anything to allow it to grow even more till it becomes a true forest.

1000 USD — Besides all the previous bonuses, you’ll have the opportunity to change the information in the journal of the main hero, adding personal information intended to frighten anyone who is unaware that the altered version of the game exists. You will get 10 digital copies of this version. In the credits, you would be mentioned as a co-producer of the project.

We are using the Unity3D game engine which was recently made compatible with Linux. We did not imagine that the number of people interested in a Linux version of the game would be this large, so we did not implement it yet. If everything goes as intended, we will be able to announce the Linux version of the game a bit later, in one of the Kickstarter page updates.